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What social class do you consider yourself to be?

What social class do you consider yourself to be and why?

Thought it would be interesting to get people's opinions on this :smile:

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Reply 1
Middle class, one parent working, 3brothers, 3 bedrooms low wage job for my mum. Bit of gadgets and books but not too much accessories.
Lower middle
Lower middle or Upper working.
postgrad student so that must mean middle? growing up I'd say my family probably straddled the lower-middle / working boundary.
Reply 5
Low(est) class
Original post by SpottedZebra
What social class do you consider yourself to be and why?

Thought it would be interesting to get people's opinions on this :smile:


Upper-middle based on parent's jobs and general upbringing/living standard.

What social class do you consider yourself to be OP? It's interesting to know what people base it on - the criteria people draw on to define themselves in social class terms are not always the same.
Reply 7
Original post by Fullofsurprises
Upper-middle based on parent's jobs and general upbringing/living standard.

What social class do you consider yourself to be OP? It's interesting to know what people base it on - the criteria people draw on to define themselves in social class terms are not always the same.


That's what I'm interested in - I see people with very similar (or seemingly) lifestyles describing themselves as being from different social classes. I guess it's how people perceive the class system, but without a doubt the class system is becoming much less pronounced.
I'd probably consider myself to be lower middle - purely because that is the background I come from. But then I am now studying for a degree, an interesting question is whether my class will then change if i graduate.
Reply 8
Original post by SpottedZebra
That's what I'm interested in - I see people with very similar (or seemingly) lifestyles describing themselves as being from different social classes. I guess it's how people perceive the class system, but without a doubt the class system is becoming much less pronounced.
I'd probably consider myself to be lower middle - purely because that is the background I come from. But then I am now studying for a degree, an interesting question is whether my class will then change if i graduate.


I was wondering this too. Does the class of a person change so suddenly, for example you graduate from univresity and get a good job? Does this make you middle class instantly or are you still low class?
Reply 9
Original post by Sha_15
I was wondering this too. Does the class of a person change so suddenly, for example you graduate from univresity and get a good job? Does this make you middle class instantly or are you still low class?


It's an interesting question. Some people believe that you stay the class you are born, and other people say that you can change class according to changing qualifications, lifestyle, beliefs etc.
My dad for example grew up in a very working class family and went on to graduate with a doctorate, does this make him now middle class? Or do his working class roots make him working class for the rest of his life? That's a hard question to answer.
Hmmm, probably fairly in the middle of middle class.
I think maybe middle class but low middle class, my Mum has a fairly good job, she's always worked and we have reasonably nice things so yeah just about middle I guess.
Middle class I think. I've been raised by a single mum but she has a good job, there have been times when things were a bit difficult financially but in general we've never really had to worry about money, so I count myself very lucky.
Reply 13
In terms of income, upper middle class. Socially middle class though, as I was state educated.
Original post by s.a.u
In terms of income, upper middle class. Socially middle class though, as I was state educated.


Don't say if you don't want to, but out of curiosity, what level of income do you feel makes you 'upper middle'?
Both my parents have working class type jobs, they both went to state school and neither went to university. My Dad is from a complete working class background but my mums family is fairly wealthy and 4 or 5 generations back were elite upper class. My parents both have middle class attitudes and are friends mostly with middle class people.

I don't like to class myself as either, I think I can fit in with and understand all classes. At university, I don't really know anyone who went to a state school and get on well with the middle class and even some upper class people but when I go home I fit in fine with my old mates who are working as plumbers or whatever.
Reply 16
Original post by Fullofsurprises
Don't say if you don't want to, but out of curiosity, what level of income do you feel makes you 'upper middle'?


A minimum of £100,000-120,000 joint income in my opinion.
Original post by s.a.u
A minimum of £100,000-120,000 joint income in my opinion.


That's interesting, because I think people can be working class and earn more than that and be upper middle and earn less. It has to do with culture, job, education and outlook/upbringing, not just earnings. That's also true in many other countries.
Reply 18
Original post by Fullofsurprises
That's interesting, because I think can be working class and earn more than that and be upper middle and earn less. It has to do with culture, job, education and outlook/upbringing, not just earnings. That's also true in many other countries.


I agree with you, that's why I said that I consider myself economically upper middle, but socially middle. My parents are well-educated etc, and we were well brought up, but I think the fact that they are emigrees makes us a bit of a class system anomaly.
Reply 19
Lower middle/Upper working.

Middle because my Dad has been to university and owns a small company, which is actually quite well known in his home country and among the ethnic community here. We're not rich but we're not poor either - I suppose we're 'comfortable'.

Working because my mum has no further education and my upbringing was a bit unorthodox and my family did struggle when I was little/before I was born. I think my Dad's company properly took off when I was 9 - so around 10 years ago. Before that he owned a cash & carry. All my siblings including myself are state school educated and I live in a pretty crappy area.

Tbh I feel pretty privileged. We don't own mulitiple TV's/laptops/gadgets etc and I didn't get a smartphone till I was 18 after my first pay cheque. But that's how I feel it should be - any more would be unnecessary and I think I have had a pretty decent life thus far even though my family and upbringing was a bit odd to most (I was raised mostly by my older sister who is 9 years older than me due to my mum having a mental illness that she refused to take medication for at the time and my dad always working).
(edited 11 years ago)

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